Confessions of a Shopaholic in Chennai

Wed, Aug 25 2010 10:27 AM
The cradle of the Tamil film industry…hotbed of political dramas... home of classical music and dance... call it whatever you want, Chennai is a kaleidoscope of colours, aromas and sounds. Sherin Chandran dares the blistering sun of May to find what the city has in store for a chronic shopaholic.

What comes to mind when you think about Chennai? I picture Rajnikanth, the thespian of the Tamil Film Industry, the big dance festivals, silk saris, hot idlis, dosas and steaming cups of filter coffee. What an odd and eclectic combination for a city!! Being the fourth largest city in India, Chennai is known for its diverse mix of tradition and modernity.

It welcomed us with gargantuan cut-outs of film stars and politicians all along the roads. Flower sellers in their bright multi-coloured clothes squatted by the streets with their baskets full of fresh jasmine and roses... Read this Special

Dune Bashing!

Sun, Sep 12 2009 11:13 AM
We were all ready and cheerful, having no inkling about the horror that we were about to experience. The travel agency had informed us that they would be picking us up for a trip at 3o’clock from our hotel at Sharjah. We waited at the hotel lobby in high spirits, looking forward to that picnic in the desert, yes, that was what we thought.

At sharp 3 a 2003 model Land Cruiser with the imposing look of a magnificent elephant arrived and stopped in front of the hotel lobby. A tall Arab youth got down from the driver’s seat and approached us. A man of pleasing manners, he introduced himself as Ahmed and led us to the vehicle in all modesty. I sensed danger the moment I stepped into the vehicle. The car was fitted inside with a thick steel frame as in a rally car! It was a measure taken to secure the safety of the travelers where the chances for a mishap are more or less certain. The next thing that caught my eyes was the GPRS placed above the dash board... Read this Special

In an Endangered Paradise

Thu, Apr 30 2009 10:47 AM
At the crack of dawn we piled ourselves into our car and headed off from Delhi towards the Keoladeo National Park, more popularly known after Bharatpur, which is the closest town. It was winter - one of the best times to visit the Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary which was formed about 250 years ago is named after the Shiva temple which lies within its boundaries. It had evolved out of the wetland that got formed when Maharaja Suraj Mal built a dam. The place eventually became a popular hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur and duck shoots were regularly organized in honor of the British Viceroys. Thousands of ducks were killed, it is said, on each hunting trip and it is even boasted that on one of these hunting trips a record number of 40,000 birds were hunted.

Today, it is a world heritage site recognized by UNESCO and has over 300 species of birds. Migratory birds from as far as Siberia used to fly down and make Bharatpur their winter home... Read this Special

How About a Gastronomic Hang-out in Nantes?

Thu, Apr 30 2009 11:14 AM
This time I’m writing from Nantes, France, where I am just finishing up two weeks with my friends, Lars and Nirin. You met them in the book, remember? I met them in 1997 when I was doing my dive course on an island in Lombok, Indonesia. Our first meal together there (I can’t talk about them without talking about food.) was barracuda, two hours out of the ocean, pure and gently flavored with ginger, soy sauce, and lemon. (Lars made barracuda two nights ago when we had a small dinner party. My contribution to the meal was ho mok.)

Since my arrival, we have had oysters (several times), braised endive with vinaigrette, a coconut-pumpkin soup, several different fish with wonderful sauces, beef cheeks in a sauce that had red wine, herbs, and chocolate in it. I never heard of beef cheeks either until I ate them that night. They cooked (the beef cheeks did) for three and a half hours!)...
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City Blues : Walk the City Budapest

Sun, Feb 15 2009 10:12 AM
In a city that changes every minute under the rubric of a neo-liberal global world and where poets are born every day. Budapest was gleaming in its sexiest zenith last summer.

The windy mood of summer was tempting. But the river offered rain. The singing love goddess came to Danube in search of her lover. Hey mascot, will she gift with the kiss of the season? If this could be poetry in the making, there are poets born every day in Budapest.

A place where the political history of Europe can be seen resting as embedded aesthetically in the structure and form of the city; nature’s bounty frozen in hilly terrains melts down like a sizzling folk dancer; a culture bridged over the river Danube and history etched on its banks. If you want to experience it like a local, come to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary...
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Kama Kerala!

Sun, Feb 15 2009 10:03 AM
On the ‘unchartered’ waterscapes of interior Kerala, Martin R Edson was surprised to see the colours of everyday life bursting on to the lackluster canvas of his soul.

Anyone who has spent time in Mumbai will recognize it as one of the most distracting and engaging cities in the world. And after living and working in Mumbai for a while you soon crave an escape – somewhere to recharge your batteries, take stock and relax a while.

For me, there’s no better place for this than Kerala. A two-hour flight from Mumbai, and my friend and I were soon riding along palm-fringed roads, where the colours of everyday life burst onto the lackluster canvases of our souls. We were already smiling and feeling more relaxed, but after a glass of the local sweet, black Kerala chai (tea) and a coconut dumpling, the feeling was expedited further still.

Soon enough we were deposited on a river bank with our bags... Read this Special